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Video Playlist: Directors Playlist Vol.1 (Spike Jonze)

Considered one of the premier music video directors of all time, Spike Jonze grew to prominence in the mid-to-late nineties, producing some of the most creative, exciting and humorous promos around. Cutting his teeth on independent skate videos, Jonze’s early forays into music video included The Breeders’ ‘Cannonball’ (co-directed with Kim Gordon of the band Sonic Youth), which employed a variety of visual styles and techniques to create a montage of energy and playfulness. Jonze has always been a filmmaker having fun and it is this approach that has defined his career.

Many of Jonze’s videos have used what some may deem a low-budget aesthetic (‘Cannonball’, ‘Sure Shot’, ‘If I Only Had A Brain’), but just as many have been nothing short of cinematic (‘Wonderboy’, ‘Da Funk’, ‘Sabotage’). The practice served him well as his feature film output has been ever-impressive. Being John Malkovich (1999) and Adaptation (2002) heralded him as an exciting ‘new’ director and one that promised an exciting body of work to come. This was confirmed with Where the Wild Things Are (2009), an ambitious project which saw Jonze’s visual scope expand considerably and saw the filmmaker mixing both practical and CG effects with aplomb. While his latest, Her (2013), is a far more intimate affair it is no less ambitious in terms of scale and depth of story and meaning.

Whether you are familiar with Jonze’s video work or not, we are sure you will find something to enjoy in our latest video playlist below. Happy viewing.

Don’t forget to join us on Saturday 30 January at The Arch Café for a matinee screening of Spike Jonze’s sci-fi love story Her, starring Joaquin Phoenix and the exceptional vocal talents of Scarlett Johansson. Tickets are selling fast so head over to our online ticket office now to ensure you don’t miss out. You can read our full preview here.